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Wednesday, 31 October 2012

The starling roost is starting to build up to significant numbers and we estimated that there were around 50,000 birds coming in to roost last night. There were no spectacular shape changing displays but a number of passes by Sparrowhawk and Hen Harrier ensured that there were some exciting flushes by the whole roost. The birds came in from all directions but mostly from the east and the north. They settled very quickly, pouring straight into the northern section. The best spot to watch from is the flat area by the bank that separates the two halves of the reed bed. This seems to cause minimal disturbance to the birds, as the hedge behind means that people do not stand out on the skyline.
As the sun set the birds wings were flushed with pink as they wheeled in to roost and just after the sun had disappeared an appropriately spooky, orange Halloween moon rose on the other side of the reeds, accompanied by the murmuring chatter of thousands of starlings as they settled for the night.

Having closed my blog last week with a wish to see winter swans, it was uncanny
to find a WhooperSwan out on the far reaches of Greenaways first thing on
Saturday morning. Sadly the bird did not stay around although none of us saw it
leave, there was simply too much else to look at.Two Hen Harriers were doing
the rounds of the reedbed all day Saturday and regularly flushing the large
flocks of Teal from the channels and lagoons. One was noticeably larger than the
other and it seems as though they were a mature female and a juvenile male.
During the course of the day they gave stunning views and excellent photographic
opportunities. A Peregrine put in several appearances and the Merlin was seen
and photographed over Ashgrave. The two “resident” Sparrowhawks put in regular
appearances, Kites, Buzzards and Kestrels were frequently seen.One of the
reasons for this influx of raptors must be the steady build up of the starling
roost which on Sunday was estimated to be at least 20,000 birds. It is a very
unpredictable event and the birds are inconsistent in both their “displays” and
where exactly they choose to alight.On Sunday morning the Bearded Tits that
have been skulking in the middle of the reedbed for the last two weeks finally
showed themselves properly, at least one of them did. They were seen in the
strip of reeds on the right hand side of the path going to the first screen,
there were certainly two birds there although we only saw one of them well, a
very smart male. It gave outstanding views in one of the brighter moments on
Sunday morning and Andy Last took some excellent pictures of it. I am also sure
that I heard pinging from the reeds fringing the bridle way about one hundred
metres from the pumphouse. It may be that the initial flock of seven birds has
split up and are moving around the reserve independently.There were a male
and a female Brambling with the Chaffinch flock by the cattle pens and a small
flock of Redpolls feeding on willow herb seeds in the Roman road and the car
park field. On Sunday a Swallow flying along the hedge beside the path to the
second screen was a very late record.A male Otter was seen on Thursday and
Friday swimming through the southern lagoon and so it is worth keeping your eyes
open, especially if the ducks suddenly take off for no apparent reason.The
Bittern was seen in flight once over the weekend, having shown itself a lot last
week, notably wading and feeding in the channel off to the right of the first
screen. The Black Redstart seen in a farmyard last week was within my definition
of the Otmoor Basin and so is another addition to our yearlist along with the
Whooper. We are currently standing at one hundred and forty nine....can we make
it to one fifty? and what might it be ?... a Shrike perhaps or will my
predictive luck finally have run out?

Thursday, 25 October 2012

Had a couple of hours on the moor yesterday afternoon and failed to find the Beardies that I had been looking for. It seems that every time I have been down to look for them it has been blowing a gale or very foggy, sometimes both! I think they are likely to still be there, but finding seven small birds in a fifty two acre reed bed is always going to rely more on luck than anything else.
There are several Stonechats out in the reeds and along the paths to the screens and they were something to look at in the gloom.
On a brief visit to the hide we saw a large number of Starlings flush out on Ashgrave and had our first look at the Harrier that had been seen on Tuesday by Terry Tossell. As we walked back towards the carpark the harrier was mobbed over the closes by corvids and then flew over our heads and headed out across Greenaways. A nice end to an otherwise ordinary visit.

It is worth scanning through the Chaffinch flock by the cattle pens as T.T. saw a male Brambling there on Tuesday.

Grey, damp and gloomy at the weekend but the gloom somewhat lifted by the
continuing presence of the Bearded Tits that arrived last Monday. By lunchtime
on Saturday however I was convinced that they had left, as we could not find
sight or sound of them in the reedbeds either north or south, despite the
windless conditions. They were seen, although not heard, on Saturday afternoon
and early evening. We subsequently refound them way out in the northern reedbed
on Sunday morning, where they could occasionally be heard and seen, flitting
fleetingly above the above the reeds that by now were tossing about in the
strengthening wind. The RSPB staff and volunteers have gone to great lengths to
provide them with grit and seed trays, as these have proved popular at other
reserves, to help the birds change their diets from invertebrates in summer to
seeds in winter. Lets hope that they stay longer than the last two
groups.Finches were very noticeable with a large flock of chaffinches
feeding around the grain by the cattle pens, Brambling being seen both days and
a large group of Redpolls feeding along the bridle way. In addition there were
flyover Siskins on both days.The Starling roost is beginning to build up
although I have yet to hear of any spectacular displays. Observers on Saturday
suggested that there were up to six thousand birds coming in to
roost.Several Goldcrests were seen, notably and most easily along the roman
Road. Redwings and Fieldfares were seen in the same area. Two Chiffchaffs were
the only warblers that we saw this weekend.Stonechats are now being seen in
all their old haunts and one pair along the path to the first screen were were
very easy to see. On Friday seven were found in the vicinity of the first
screen.A Woodcock flew over our heads on Sunday and several Snipe could be
seen over the reedbed.Wildfowl have dispersed, probably over onto the
flooded land on the east of the reserve. There are a remarkable number of Canada
Geese on and around the moor. Last week someone counted five hundred and fifty
on Ashgrave. There are also at least one hundred and fifty Greylags present.
Perhaps we can hope that their presence will encourage other wilder geese to
visit and stay.Golden Plovers and Lapwings were seen flying over the MOD
land and are also probably feeding on the flooded fields.Our yearlist is now
up to one hundred and forty seven with the addition of this weeks Brambling. It
would be pleasing to get to a round one hundred and fifty for the year and both
species of winter swans dropping by, would take us almost there. It is the time
of year when it is worth checking out any large white birds on the moor, once
again I am hopeful.

Wednesday, 17 October 2012

Bearded Tits were found in the southern reedbed on Monday 15th October. This interesting as the last time that we had a small flock of these stunning birds they turned up on the very same day in 2009. They were still there yesterday evening although they had relocated to the northern section and were only heard and not seen. I had been down earlier in the afternoon and drawn a blank. looking across the reedbeds was more like sea watching because of the very high winds.

It was the perfect autumn weekend still, calm and bright with low sunlight that
accentuated the rich colours in the turning leaves. It was quieter on the bird
front but patient observation provided some memorable moments and some great
photo opportunities.Stonechats are now well established at Noke, along the
path to the first screen and out at the Pill. New this weekend was a party of
five juveniles in the hedge between the first and second screens. This is
proving to be a good area to see small passerines. In the space of a quarter of
an hour, while standing by the bend that goes off to the second screen we saw a
small party of Redpolls,Robins,Tits, a Blackcap, Wrens, Bullfinches and
Goldcrests. There are several small parties of Redpolls on the reserve but as
yet they have not found the niger feeders as they did last year. There were also
a pair of flyover Siskins on Saturday morning.Kingfishers have continued
regularly to use the perches in front of the first screen, much to the delight
of photographers.Although we did not see the Bittern this weekend there was
a reliable sighting of it from the first screen on Sunday at around five pm.
Several parties of Redwings were seen but as yet no Fieldfares.I was down on
the moor very early on Saturday morning and saw more than a thousand Starlings
coming out of the roost on the reedbed. They flew around in a tight group for a
while before dispersing in different directions. I would be interested to hear
if anyone has seen them going to roost in the evening and whether they are
displaying their spectacular pre roost flocking.Several large flocks of
Lapwings were seen and were often flushed from the far lagoon area on Ashgrave,
usually by Buzzards and Kites.Teal are coming out of eclipse plumage now and
can be seen displaying to each other and splashing vigorously at the far end of
the first lagoon. Gadwall are also doing their courtship flights, usually with
three or four males pursuing a single female.A Peregrine passed directly
over the reedbed on Sunday and as usual Ravens were present on both
days.Hares are again very noticeable and two of them came particularly close
on Sunday. A small herd of Roe deer seem to have taken up residence in the
fields to the west of the path to the second screen and a Muntjac gave very
close views as it crossed Greenaways on Sunday. Several foxes were seen but
sadly no sign of the Otter this week.I look forward to seeing fieldfares
next weekend.

Monday, 8 October 2012

It is only at this time of year that you realise how many spiders there are. (c) Bark

A good weekend on the moor. Wonderful weather on Saturday but very foggy all
morning on Sunday. Most exciting record was the arrival of the first Bittern
of this winter period. The bird was seen from the first screen on Saturday,
flying from one side of the reedbed to the other, ironically just a moment or
two after we had left the screen! On Sunday morning we were luckier and the
first two of us into the screen saw the bird fly from the closest edge into the
first bank of reeds across the lagoon, from where in a true bittern like manner
it stayed. This is an early record for Otmoor. We tend to get Bitterns later in
the winter and have always assumed that they were continental birds pushed over
by the cold. The species has had very successful breeding season on the Somerset
Levels and it’s reasonable to speculate that this may have been a bird
dispersing from there.Duck numbers are continuing to build and there were a
flock of at least two hundred Teal on the reedbed on Sunday. The Lapwing flock
is also building and could be seen flushing from the Ashgrave lagoon several
times on Saturday when buzzed by a Peregrine and less happily by a helicopter on
Sunday. As the winter progresses and wildfowl numbers increase so will the
possibility of a potentially dangerous birdstrike, and of course the disturbance
to the birds themselves. A low flying regulation seems to be a sensible
restriction over a bird reserve.There are now at least seven Stonechats
around the moor with four out at the Pill on Saturday along with two Whinchats
and three by the farm at Noke on the same morning. There were also two Wheatears
on the barn roof at Noke and twenty or so Meadow Pipits feeding in the sheep
pastures.There was a steady passage of Swallows and Martins on Saturday and
just a few isolated individuals on Sunday. There are still a few Yellow Wagtails
about and we found Reed Warbler and a late Sedge Warbler in the reedbed on
Saturday morning. We found them while looking and listening carefully for the
“pings” of Bearded Tits, which we hope will drop in again this year. It is
difficult to predict with such an irruptive species, but it is at this time of
year that we get them.Redpolls and Siskins were seen and heard on Saturday
and with the first Redwings being reported in the county yesterday it won’t
belong before we have them down on the moor again.

Another weekend of contrasting weather and again it consisted of a sunny calm
Saturday and a greyer windier Sunday.
There are now at least four Stonechats
on and around the reserve with a couple by Lower Farm Noke and others on
Greenaways. There are also still at least four Whinchats, two of which were out
on the 100 acre field on Sunday (re Paul Greenaway).
Duck numbers continue to
rise with a flock of about seventy Mallard on the reedbed, at least fifty Wigeon
and twenty Shoveller. The Pintail pair seen earlier in the week were seen again
on Thursday evening but not reported this weekend. Likewise the Merlin seen on
Thursday evening has not been reported since. A Peregrine was seen on Saturday
and Ravens were seen and heard both days. A party of twenty plus Snipe have been
flying between Ashgrave and big Otmoor on both days. Meadow Pipits are now
common in the pastures and there are still good numbers of Yellow Wagtails
present. A Grey Wagtail flew across the lagoon at the second screen and over our
heads on Sunday morning. The flock of feral Greylags seems to have grown and has
been making its presence felt both with spectacular flyovers and noisy honking.
Perhaps their presence will encourage other wilder geese to join them on the
moor, in previous years Whitefronts have been found on the periphery of such
flocks.
Mixed flocks of tits and warblers are still working the hedgerows
with the one beside the path to the second screen proving to be very productive.
There is often a flock of Long Tailed Tits at the heart of the group and on
Saturday at least five or six Chiffchaffs were amongst them as were a similar
number of Reed Warblers.
There was bright colour in the hedges from the
turning leaves, ripening berries, Comma and Red Admiral butterflies and Migrant
Hawker dragonflies. A single very tatty individual Brown Hairstreak was in the
top of the hedge half way to Noke a very late record.